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Airline: Unruly passenger diverts plane

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An altercation on board caused a plane from Pakistan to the UK to be diverted

Two passengers "threatened to blow up the plane," Pakistan's high commissioner says

Two men were arrested and removed from the diverted aircraft, Essex police say

The Pakistan International Airlines flight to Manchester was diverted to Stansted

Two men have been charged with endangering an aircraft, police in Britain said Sunday. An altercation they were allegedly involved in caused a flight from Pakistan to the UK to be diverted Friday.

A UK fighter jet was scrambled to escort Pakistan International Airlines Flight PK709 as it was diverted from northwestern England's Manchester Airport to Stansted airport near London.

Essex police, who cover the area near Stansted, said officers arrested Tayyab Subhani, 30, and Mohammed Safdar, 41,and removed them from the plane, which had 297 passengers aboard. The flight originated in Lahore.

The men are to appear in court Monday.

Wajid Hasan, Pakistan's high commissioner to the United Kingdom, told CNN that the two passengers "got into an altercation with air stewardesses and threatened to blow up the plane."